She Will Never Be Forgotten
by Green-Eyed-Goddess
Summary: After 'The Gift' Dawn has died instead of Buffy. Buffy goes to visit Dawn's grave, and finds Spike doing the same thing. Spuffy friendship.


Disclaimer: None of the Buffy characters belong to me. They all belong to Joss and whoever else owns them.  
  
Summary: After 'The Gift.' Dawn has died instead of Buffy. Buffy visits Dawn's grave, and finds Spike doing the same thing. S/B friendship.  
  
Distribution: If you want to use this story, just ask me!  
  
AN: Please review! Good or bad, I just want to know what you think!  
  
She Will Never Be Forgotten  
  
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Buffy walked through the graveyard. She had been patrolling for an hour, and had dusted one or two vampires. She wasn't really sure. Nothing really seemed to matter any more, now that Dawn was gone. She often spent the entire night patrolling. During the day she did everything she used to, but nothing was the same any more. Buffy often felt as though she had no emotion, as though she was simply drifting, out of place, in a world of the living. A world where she didn't belong.  
  
But she was alive. It was Dawn who was dead. Buffy hardly slept, she simply lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, thinking of Dawn. She remembered that day so vividly. The day Dawn died, how many times had she played that over in her head?  
  
~*~  
  
"Buffy." Dawn said, grabbing Buffy's hand and holding tightly. They stood on the tower, wind ferociously whipping at their hair and clothing.  
  
"Buffy." Dawn said again, her voice amazingly steady. "The portal will stay open as long as the blood keeps flowing. The blood will never stop flowing. Not until I die."  
  
Buffy looked at her. "You can't! I won't let you."  
  
"I have to. You have to let me."  
  
"No."  
  
"Buffy, I can't let this become hell on earth."  
  
Buffy knew she was right, and the only thing she uttered was "Dawn."  
  
"Listen Buffy." Dawn said, tears welling in her eyes. "I love you. I love you more than anyone. Don't forget that. Don't forget me."  
  
"I'll never forget you Dawn, none of us will. We'll always remember. I love you Dawnie. I always will." Buffy didn't notice the tears sliding down her face, nor did she the ones shining on Dawn's.  
  
"Tell everyone I love them." Dawn told her. "Giles, Willow, Tara, Xander, Anya, Spike. I love you Buffy."  
  
"I love you too, Dawn."  
  
They hugged, holding each other up, leaning on each other.  
  
"I love you." Dawn repeated, taking one last glance at Buffy before running off the edge of the tower. Dawn jumped and fell, arms out spread, all fear and sorrow gone from her face.  
  
When Buffy got down from the tower, Dawn was lying on the ground. Buffy grasped her dead sister's cold hand. The hand that had been so warm before. Buffy cried, holding on to Dawn's body, oblivious to the rest of the scoobies, oblivious to everything except the fact that her sister Dawn was dead. She was gone forever.  
  
~*~  
  
Buffy hadn't cried since then. She went through life like a shadow, patrolling for hours on end. She loved her friends, but she didn't want their constant questions and offers right now. She wanted to be alone.  
  
Buffy walked slowly through the graveyard, Dawn's graveyard, this was where Dawn and Joyce were buried.  
  
She finally came to where she could see Dawn's grave, and was surprised to see another figure crouching there. Buffy stayed silent, looking, listening.  
  
The person had bleached blond hair, a long leather trench coat, and was holding roses.  
  
Spike placed the three white and two red roses carefully on Dawn's grave. "I brought you roses." Spike told Dawn. "You always said you liked roses."  
  
"You'd be proud of me, Bit." Spike continued. "I didn't even steal them. I bought them for you, figured you'd like that better."  
  
Spike traced his fingers over the words inscribed in the grave stone.  
  
Dawn Summers  
  
Loving and Loved  
  
Sister, Daughter, and Friend  
  
She Will Always Be Remembered  
  
Buffy approached slowly, and Spike, hearing her, looked up suspiciously.  
  
"Oh, hey Buffy." He greeted.  
  
"Do you miss her?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Yeah." Spike said. "I'd come to think of her as my little sister. I'd do anything to protect her." Spike sighed. "But I guess that wasn't enough. They pushed me off the bleedin tower. And then she jumped off the same tower . . . . . "  
  
"We all tried." Buffy said. "We all failed."  
  
"Patrolling?" Spike asked her.  
  
"Yeah. And just trying to get away from everyone."  
  
"I could leave-"  
  
"No. It's fine. You can stay."  
  
Spike smiled slightly, he didn't want to leave his Nibblet yet.  
  
Buffy sat down next to him, and stared at the grave.  
  
"Why Dawn?" Spike asked no one in particular. "She was a good girl. She should have been able to do normal teenage stuff, not worry about being a key and all."  
  
"Her life was already bad enough." Buffy thought. "Mom dead, older sister a slayer."  
  
"It wasn't that bad." Spike said. "You loved her. All the scoobies loved her. She had the best of the best. Love."  
  
"Do you know what she asked me before she died? She asked me not to forget her. Like she was afraid that once she died we would all forget her, never mention her again."  
  
"Never." Spike said ferociously.  
  
"Never." Buffy agreed. "We'll always remember her."  
  
There was a long pause as Buffy and Spike thought their separate thoughts.  
  
"I want my Dawnie back." Buffy said, sounding almost like a small child.  
  
"I want my Dawnie back." She was shaking now, and the tears that had refused to come for days were cascading down her face. "Dawn. She's gone. Dawn. Gone." Dawn, gone. The two words had become one word, with one meaning.  
  
Spike put a hand over her, and squeezed tightly. Buffy gripped his hand, holding onto it while she sobbed. Spike only stared into the distance. Buffy continued to cry until she fell asleep, leaning on Spike, her grip on his hand never loosening. And they stayed that way for hours, Buffy sleeping, Spike simply sitting, thinking.  
  
* * *  
  
The sun would be rising soon, Spike could tell. He gently pried the slayer's hand from his, and laid her on the ground. Spike stood up, and turned to Dawn's grave again.  
  
"'Member how you used to get so upset when people made exceptions for Buffy, because she was the slayer?" Spike asked. "You used to say, 'So, she saved the world. If I had slayer strength, I'd save the world too.' Well Bit, you never got slayer strength. But you did save the world."  
  
Spike walked off, to escape the coming sunlight.  
  
"My Nibblet saved the world."  
  
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End file.
